Oda Nobunaga
| occupation = Unknown | previous occupation = Captain of Fourth Division Member of | team = None | previous team = | partner = None | previous partner = Unknown | base of operations = | marital status = Single | relatives = Unknown | education = | status = Active | shikai = Renge | bankai = Not yet revealed }} Oda Nobunaga (織田信長, Nobunaga Oda in the English dub) is a considerably powerful, as well as old, shinigami. He is the former Captain of the , having been the replacement for after she retired from the Gotei 13. After his rise to the honorable rank, Nobunaga became known for his extensive knowledge of medicine, as well as medicinal herbs. However, he soon became obsessed with overthrowing the ruling government within . Due to this, he would quickly defect from the Fourth Division, as well as Soul Society itself. Some time after his self-exile, he would somehow become a Shinkūmyō, which only augmented his desire for change. At the current moment, Nobunaga is is cooperations with Jūsanseiza, believing that they may further his goal of destroying of Soul Society and then give birth to a new society. Appearance Not unlike most of the senior members of the Gotei 13, Nobunaga possesses a rather elderly look, although he does not find appearance to be of much importance. However, he is still found to be quite attractive to most women, much to the dismay of the shinigami. Even though Nobunaga is considered handsome to the masses of Soul Society, he merely scuffs it off, deeming attractiveness to be a side-effect to greatness. Despite being one of the oldest of the current Captains, Nobunaga still retains a more youthful face than some of the newer members of this generation. During his time in Soul Society, Nobunaga wore the standard shinigami uniform, although he believed it to be incredibly uncomfortable. Despite this, he wore it along with a Captain's haori. Unlike many of his fellow Captains, Nobunaga liked to have a more scruffy look, tearing the sleeves off of his haori, as well as burning the ends of said garment, giving him the appearance of a man that has fought countless battles. Before his defection, he kept his zanpakutō in a small scroll that he attached to his hip. After his defection from the Gotei 13, Nobunaga replaced his shinigami uniform with a traditional samurai attire. He made this change after deciding that the samurai motfit was more comfortable than his previous outfit. After his self-exile, he decided he didn't need to carry his zanpakutō in a scroll anymore. Since then, he has began traveling with it tied behind his back, it clearly visible from a few hundred meters away. Despite his change in attire, he has kept his same somewhat youthful appearance, much to the dismay of the quite elderly shinigami. Personality Being one of the oldest of the current Captains, Nobunaga possesses an aura about him that gave others a sense of calmness and composure, something he holds in high regard. Due to this, he rarely shows intense emotions, such as anger or delight. Instead, he appears to show a rather refined personality. With that said, Nobunaga has stated that this allows him to understand other beings much better than the average shinigami. Along with this calmness, he has displayed an unrivaled will to not react strongly, even in the most dangerous situations. However, Fūma Kotarō, as well as Naishō Kawahiru, have stated that the former Captain is one of the few people they truly fear. Despite this, Nobunaga feels that there is some form of corruption within Soul Society, and isn't afraid of voicing this opinion. However, he has taken this ideology to an extreme. He has gone so far as to state that the Central 46 is just a group of shinigami consisting of corrupted politicians, believing that all the members of said law-making body are only attempting to make Soul Society a nation of military dogs. With that said, Nobunaga has discovered that the solution to this major problem is for the Gotei 13 to overthrow the Central 46, as well as the Soul King, and elect a philosopher-king of sorts. This "philosopher-king" would be someone who can only be chosen for his intelligence, though the ex-Captain fails to see this to be an unwise decision for Soul Society in the long run. In combat, Nobunaga retains his composed nature, rarely giving opponents any hint at his thoughts or emotions. Using this to his advantage, he can usually deduce the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent's attacks, as well as strategies, and create a plan of attack within a short span of time, although this speed pales in comparison to Kotarō. Even when praised for his abilities in combat, Nobunaga is not in the least bit arrogant or pompous when battling. This quality has shown to cause others to greatly respect the old geezer. Although he does not boast his skills to others, Nobunaga has shown himself to be well aware of his abilities, making him even more dangerous. History More soon... Synopsis More soon... Powers and abilities : Being one of the eldest of the current generation of Captains, it isn't much of a surprise that Nobunaga possesses a rather large quantity of reiryoku. Due to his substantial amount of spiritual energy, it is impossible for one below the rank of Captain (or someone of equal power) to sense Nobunaga. However, if he wishes, he can lower it to the point where it can be felt, with it emitted in a sphere with a radius of two kilometers. Although it is possible to decrease his level of reiryoku, it usually causes even Lieutenant-level opponents to collapse, as well as forcing a adjuchas-level hollow to burst into dust. Grandmaster Gunbai-wielding Skills: Although Nobunaga does not have a blade as the form his zanpakutō takes, he has still learned to wield it with great procision in the form it does take: a gunbai. With this particular Japanese war fan, Nobunaga has been shown to match blows with grandmasters of zanjutsu, or sword-wielding with little, to no effort at all. However, he has stated himself that he is much slower than a swordsman, which he admits is due to the size and weight of his gunbai. Even with this setback, Nobunaga can defeat opponents that possess a sword with ease, in most cases. : Even before he enlisted in the Shinō Academy, Nobunaga was well aware that his skills in hakuda were way below par. Due to this, he trained endlessly to increase his proficiency in said field of combat, but with no luck. Despite this failure, he would be placed as the Captain of the Fourth Division. During his captaincy, he continued to hone his skills in close-combat, but not with much success. However, if pushed into it, Nobunaga can fight on equal terms with masters of hand-to-hand combat, even though this may only be for a few minutes at best. Keen Intellect: Since Nobunaga was the leader of the Fourth Division, he was in possession of great intelligence. His level of intelligence was so great that he could use his studying of spiritual anatomy to it's greatest heights in battle. He also uses his mind when observing battles, being able to quickly diagnose a combatant's health after just a few moves. Even though he is a very intellectual man, Nobunaga has admitted that his mind pales in comparison to men of 's, arguably the smartest shinigami the world has known, caliber. : Much like his hakuda abilities, Nobunaga was not very good when it came to shunpō. Similarly, he trained, and continues to train, endlessly to achieve a greater level of speed, but has yet to make much progress. However, he has been shown to be able to match other shunpō experts, such as and , albeit only for a short stretch of time. : Due to the division in which Nobunaga was placed in, it isn't surprising that he has a great mastery over the art of kidō. His skill in the specific field of study is so great that he was made Captain. Having studied healing kidō spells for a greater part of his life, Nobunaga took up studying spiritual anatomy, which eventually lead to him mastering the seishin-koshijutsu, a deadly form of acupuncture. This, coupled with his enormous amount of knowledge on the subject of healing kidō, makes Nobunaga a dangerous foe out on the battlefield. Stats Zanpakutō Nobunaga's zanpakutō, named Renge (れんげ, Japanese for "lotus flower"), takes the form of a large gunbai, about three-fourths of his height and about his width, with the pole being twice that length. The gunbai is a striking pale-orange, with the sides of each circular fan being jet-black. On the top fan, there appears to be three red tomoes, although it isn't known if they have anything to do with it's abilities. It had a black chain attached to the handle that appears to be connected to him, although it is unknown if it is at this point in time. It is later revealed that Nobunaga's zanpakutō is, in fact, in its shikai form, due to his large reserve of reiryoku. *' :' As stated above, Renge already takes its shikai form, even when it's not in use. :Shikai Special Ability: Unique among many, Renge's first, and foremost, ability is its ability to manipulate its size. When not released, it takes the size mentioned above, but when Nobunaga unleashes his shikai, he can cause Renge to become as big, or small, as he wills it. It's second, and most interesting, ability is that Renge can use wind as a form of attack and defense. This ability is unusual compared to most wind-type zanpakutō, soley because it allows Nobunaga to control the air pressure around him, with his control reaching great distance. With this ability, Renge can cause the air pressure to increase in a specified area, which'll cause severe pain, or even death, to any creature within said area. :*'Sanketsu' (さんけつ, Japanese for "oxygen deprivation") is Renge's only named technique. By increasing or decreasing the pressure of the air within the area of the opponent, Nobunaga can cause them to implode or just pass out, depending if he's lower or raising the air pressure. However, this technique requires constant focus, making it incredibly difficult to maintain. *' :' Not Yet Revealed. Shinkūmyō powers :Main article: Shinkūmyō Unlike a normal shinkūmyō, which are xiāochú that have rejoined a 's memories and energy, Nobunaga is a normal shinigami that has combined the memories and energy of a blank. After battling a member of the Jūsanseiza organization, Nobunaga began to develop an inner rosary, which is the shinkūmyō's suppressed memories given a tangible form. While his does not possess a name, Nobunaga commonly refers to it as "that thing." To access his shinkūmyō powers, he will call upon his inner rosary, causing a mask of pure crystal to form around his face. *'Power Augmentation:' While masked, all of Nobunaga's powers are pushed passed their limits, causing him to be even more dangerous. :*'Vast Spiritual Energy:' After taking his shinkūmyō form, Nobunaga loses all control over his already incredible levels of reiryoku. Due to this, he rarely uses these abilities, as it causes wide-spread destruction whenever released. :*'Immense Speed:' Once releasing his shinkūmyō abilities, Nobunaga can move faster than most masters of hohō, most notably , while not using shunpō. Once using the enhancing agility technique, he becomes one of, if not the fastest shinigami in all of Soul Society. :*'Enhanced Strength:' Immediately following his release, Nobunaga is capable of lifting extremely heavy objects as if they were mere pebbles, as well as tossing opponents several kilometers with just a slight flick of the wrist. :*'Telekinesis:' Much like Seireitou Kawahiru, Nobunaga can manipulate objects with his mind. This was first shown when he summoned his blade to his person after it was sent flying into the air. Another example of this power was demonstrated when the shinigami slammed two large boulders together into an opponent just by looking at them. However, this power puts a tremendous strain on Nobunaga's mind, body and soul, making the ability a last resort technique. Behind the scenes Many thanks go to LaviBookman for letting me use his spiritual anatomy article for Nobunaga. Trivia More soon... Category:Articles by Koukishi